Paris Debuts Electric Police Cars

The City of Lights is testing if electric police cars can help reduce pollution.

Does anyone remember that scene in the film The Other Guys where Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are trying to get psyched up en route to a crime scene…in a Prius?

As laughable as that is, that’s actually a reality for some of Paris’ finest. While they won’t be driving Prius’s per se, the French capital’s police just announced its squad is now roaming around in squeaky clean electric police cars.

Blue Lights, Green Cars

Sixteen new Volkswagen e-Golf sedans have been patrolling the streets of Paris since last week part of a one-year test, reports CleanTechnica.com. The project is aimed at deciding if the police force can, in fact, operate electric cars to do their part in bringing emissions down in the City of Lights.

Paris is just one of many cities around the world that’s not at the level it wants to be at when it comes to reducing pollution. Paris’s smog has gotten so bad that some days the Eiffel Tower is hard to see, so the city is hoping to be completely rid of internal combustion engine cars by 2030.

The Initiative has spread to the United States as Los Angeles is leasing a fleet of 100 electric BMW i3 sedan Sports Police Department. While the cars are not used for patrol at this point the goal is to get them on the streets soon enough. Other cities like London and Dubai are also testing out electric BMW cars.

Ultimately, while electric cars in the hands of police can help to reduce pollution, police vehicles are often expected to be used more rigorously. From reliability to being able to be in service for long hours during the day, electric vehicles will need to be capable of the commands of prowling the streets. The Paris electric police cars will hopefully shed some light on this ultimate question.